Thursday, June 9, 2011

Hunted

Hunted

By: Kristian Gore

Fear pumps through my veins as I run from the creatures that chase me on this moonlit night. They were determined to kill me, I know this even though I can’t understand them. At first I had hunted them but I had only hunted them for food. Now those I hunted were hunting me and they seemed to enjoy the hunt. 

I could hear the creatures getting close. I heard the heavy footsteps of the large group as they crushed the dry leaves that covered the floor of the wooded area near the town. Not trusting my hiding place anymore I sprint deeper into the woods I know so well. The creatures whistle to each other and take off after me but my fear makes me fast and I am able to distance myself from them.


When I hunted them I thought they were easy prey. That they were docile creatures and I am sure that if I can separate them I can kill them one at a time but together they are too strong. I can’t think of a way to separate them so I run. My lungs burn and my legs ache as I make it to the abandoned paper mill. I break open the door and go around the back to the polluted creek.

I wade into the cool dark water slowly and quietly creep away following the bank of the creek to the larger river. I feel if I can make it to the river I might be safe again. I watch as the creatures follow my trail up to the abandoned paper mill but they stop at the door. They organize before they enter the building and as the last creature enters I take my chance and wade back to the shore and run along the bank.

I don’t know how long they will search the mill but I’m sure they will pick up my trail before long. I stay to the bank and continue towards the river. Only fear is keeping me going now. I try running through the water at the banks of the creek but I make to much noise and I’m sure they will find me again. I take a chance and head away from the creek and deeper into the woods so I can set a trap and perhaps make a stand against the creatures.

I make my way into the darkest part of the forest and off to the side of the trail I double back and hide behind a tree off to the left of the trail. After a while I hear the creatures making noises, perhaps it is how they communicate. As they pass by I slip out of my hiding spot and creep up behind one as silently as I know how. At the last moment it turns and it sees my face just before I cut deep into its neck. It doesn’t die as quickly as I like and it slices into my arm with what feels like a single metal talon.

I run as quietly as possible holding my arm to stop the flow of blood. I still don’t know how many are chasing me but at least I know it’s one less. The creatures make a horrible noise when they see I’ve killed one of them. I’m confused and hurt and don’t really know which way I’m heading. I don’t have time to stop and get my bearings as the creatures now peruse me with renewed vigor.

Desperate and afraid I look for another place to hide from my would be attackers. The same trick wont work twice so I have to think fast. I covered my wound with dirt to try to stop the bleeding. I could set up a trap but there is no time to do that, the creatures are hot on my trail. I can hear them behind me moving loudly through the brush as if they didn’t care if I could hear them coming. They stomped and crashed like they wanted me to know how close they were.

I came to a clearing and found myself at the old mill again. I had been in it many times and decided to take a chance and hide inside. I knew the nooks and crannies of the place and when the creatures crash in I am hidden on the second floor. I wait gripped by fear and only hope they don’t all check up here at once. As I hear them coming up the stairs careful of the rotted parts of the staircase I realize I have trapped myself.

I can see them from where I am now but they can not see me. There are five of them left as far as I can tell, maybe more if they split up. The lights on the end of their sticks light up the whole room and I know I have to move now and take the fight close up to them. I have to act now if I am going to survive this night.

I pounce with all my strength and am able to take down the first creature with my claws. I quickly move to the second creature before he can point the stick at me and sink my teeth into it’s soft throat and I savor the taste of it’s sweet blood as it glides down my throat. The other three now have their sticks pointed at me and as I hear the thundering crashes. The first rips through my thigh with a pain I have never experienced. The second rends my shoulder and already injured arm. The third rips into my chest and brings me down.

I lay on the wooden floor that is coated in a mixture of my blood and the blood of two of the creatures. I can hear the creatures chattering in their foul language as they remove and replace small cylinders in their sticks. After what seems like an eternity one of the steps forward and points its stick in my face. It is made of metal and has two round holes in the end that is pointed at me. I muster my remaining strength and roar a deafening roar that I can only hope the others will hear. The last thing I see is a flash from the holes at the end of its stick.

The three men stood over the body of the beast that had been terrorizing the town. They had lost half their party this night and for the moment marveled at the creature before them. Mangled by their shotgun blasts they could only see that it resembled a sort of primate. It also had long sharp claws that had sliced through the flesh of two of their friends that night. They could only hope that this was the only one.

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